Petrobras – Offshore Gas Leak Shuts Platform
Petroleo Brasileiro (Petrobras) has ceased production from its semisubmersible production platform in the offshore Marlim Sul field following a gas leak on the vessel.
An oil workers’ union said in its website that the platform P-40 was producing approximately 45,915 barrels of oil and 800,000m³ of natural gas a day when it closed.
Brazil’s regulator ANP confirmed that no oil or gas leaked into the ocean.
“The Marlim Sul field was the sixth-largest producing field in Brazil, producing 164,000 barrels of oil and natural gas equivalent in April.”
Linked to an undersea pipeline system, the P-40 is located 175km off the coast of Rio de Janeiro state.
The pipeline system exports oil from the neighboring Marlim field.
Reuters quoted Petrobras saying in a statement that the leak was controlled immediately and production was being normalised.
According to ANP, the Marlim Sul field was the sixth-largest producing field in Brazil, producing 164,000 barrels of oil and natural gas equivalent in April.
In February, an explosion occurred onboard the floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit Cidade de São Mateus operated by BW Offshore for Petrobras.
The unit was operating on the Camarupim and Camarupim Norte fields in Espirito Santo littoral, 120km from the coast.
Following the incident, BW Offshore confirmed three fatalities and ten others to have sustained injuries.